Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The quintessential
Vermont pilgrimage just got sweeter. Although visiting the Green
Mountain state for the “big 3” (The Alchemist, Lawson’s, and Hill Farmstead) is
the heart of the Vermont beer haul, a humble new brewery is making that pilgrimage
even more enticing.

That
brewery is Lost Nation. Founded by Jamie Griffith and Allen Van Anda, Lost
Nation opened its discreet doors last summer in an unlikely industrial park in
Morrisville VT. If Morrisville sounds familiar that’s because Rock Art also
calls it home. In fact, Lost Nation inhabits Rock Art’s old facility that they
recently moved out of. Conveniently, this spot is on the way from The Alchemist
to Hill Farmstead.

It’s
worth noting that the Vermont beer pilgrimage was already complimented by a quaint
little stop in the town of Stowe – that’s the Von Trapp Lodge with its
traditional Austrian and Germanic lagers and cozy café serving up quality lunch
fare. See a review of the Von Trapp Lodge brewery.

What’s interesting
is that Griffith and Van Anda were originally the brewers at Von Trapp. Van Anda was their founding brewer in 2009 and he
brought on Griffith as his assistant a year later. In 2012, as the von Trapp
family planned a dramatic expansion of the brewery funded with money from EB-5
immigrant visas, Van Anda took his leave. Griffith stayed on a little while
longer. In stolen moments from family duties they began shaping the business
plan for what would become Lost Nation.

The two men spent time methodically planning how they would
extract maximum flavor from sessionable beers. They’re noted as saying, “I want
to taste everything. I want to taste malt. I want to taste water; I want to
know you’re using good water. I want to taste yeast.”

Their solution was to use an additional mash tun that enables
them to put their wort boil through “temperature rests,” as Griffith calls them.
This is known as step mashing. After the beer ferments, it’s pumped into
cellaring tanks just as lager brewers would do. There it conditions for a few
more weeks on yeast to allow flavors to mature.

We’d
heard great things of Lost Nation and paid a visit while on a trip to secure cans
of Heady Topper and growlers from Hill Farmstead.

Visiting
wasn’t easy. Our GPS led us to a dead end road from which we could see the
brewery but drive no longer. It seemed like temporary construction was to blame.
We eventually found a way around through a neighborhood and walked in for lunch
on a weekday. Presumably the construction is no longer there and access is
better now, so don’t let that deter you.

We
walked in and saw only a few people sitting at a table who we eventually learned
to be one of the brewers chatting with sales people of some kind as there was
paperwork on the table. So as the first real guests, we felt we had service all
to ourselves. The sales folk seemed welcome enough as they had beer in their
hands and eventually joined us at the bar, chatting jovially.

The
restaurant is small, dim, dressed in dark wood, with only daylight illuminating
the interior. On the right is a bar with approximately 10 seats; on the left are
about 7 tables.

The
food menu is very small, but the eats are thoughtful and made with care. They
focus on local and fresh ingredients cooked in a rustic way. I had a grilled
cheese made with local blue cheese, apple, and bacon along with a roasted red
potato and garlic soup. My better half enjoyed a pork chop in apple cider glaze
over spaghetti squash. We were beyond pleased with our food.

As for
the beer, we like where these guys are coming from. If you’re familiar with the
quality in the lower-alcohol offerings from the Von Trapp Lodge, then you have
an idea of the ballpark in which Lost Nation sits. No beer they make exceeds
5.9% ABV. Roughly half of them sit below 5.0%.

The
entire stable beers in Lost Nation’s arsenal were available at the time of our
visit. That’s around 8 beers – some ales, some lagers – covering styles native
to Germany, Belgium, and America. The bartender could not have been more
friendly and happily let us sample each beer – sometimes without us even asking
for one.

First
up was their flagship beer in the gose style. It was divine. As one of Germany’s two beer styles contributed to the world of sour/tart beers, gose beers are seeing a slight resurgence
in popularity among American brewers. But, it’s still largely an unknown style
to many. Gose style beers are traditionally brewed with salt and coriander
seeds, and should taste a bit tart. Lost Nation’s take on the style hits pretty
close to bullseye. While some beer geeks may wish it was a bit more tart, or
even sour, its balance of refreshing tartness, spice, and bright drinkability
is addictive. We brought home a 64 oz. growler of it, killed it, and found
ourselves turning the growler jug upside down hoping more would pour out.

Another
version of the gose was available that was fermented on red and black currants.
We only had a sample of this but it tasted delightful; a bit more tart than the
original, but still not sweet.

I next
tried their pilsner, which they claim sits squarely in the Franconian style. It
was spot on. It’s hard to find well-made pilsners as the style has been
bastardized by large production breweries and a good pilsner requires high attention
to detail. When I voiced my fondness of their pilsner to the brewer, he was
grateful and went on to say it was the beer he was most proud of. He proceeded
to describe how he has to “baby” the brewing of that beer more than any other
beer he makes. His efforts were noticeable and to see his face light up when
talking about it reminded us why interacting with the brewers themselves can be
such a rewarding experience and enhance your enjoyment of the beer. His passion
for his work was genuinely palpable.

My
better half had a full pour of their “Pitch black” ale, and it was a fantastic
blend of smoke, light cocoa, earthiness, and a balanced hop presence. Similar
in flavor to a classic porter, with the drinkability of a schwarzbier, it’s a
winner.

Other
beers we quickly sampled included a “rustic
ale”, a saison, Belgian pale ale, and a märzen. As we only tasted these beers and didn’t drink a
full glass, we don’t have thorough tasting notes to share. However, they all
tasted solid and would seem to be very approachable for many people.

The bartender mentioned that in addition to beers of their
own, they normally have a guest tap or two. They happened to be in between
guest offerings during our visit but he mentioned they were soon expecting a
barrel of the acclaimed De Dolle Oerbier. Various offerings from De Struise have
also made appearances there.

What we
enjoy most about Lost Nation is that their brewing goal lies against the grain of
Vermont’s high profile brewers. Similar to the Von Trapp Lodge, Lost Nation is essentially
a session-beer brewery sitting in the middle of world-famous double-IPA
territory. They’re a valuable and unique addition to the already first-rate
brewing state. The pub makes an ideal stop during your Vermont beer pilgrimage to
the Big 3 as it breaks up the sampling of hop bombs with quality food and refined
session beers that don’t leave you feeling groggy for the remainder of your
trip.

We wish
more brewpubs like Lost Nation existed. It’s unfortunate that some beer geeks
will overlook this brewery on their pilgrimage due to a lack of imperialized beers
and hop bombs. But in our eyes, this just means we get to take their seat at
the bar.

Monday, November 4, 2013

One
of the best ways to spend a summer weekend in Massachusetts is to visit the
area of Lenox and attend a concert at Tanglewood. It may be a pain in the neck
for most MA residents to trek to, but the concerts (primarily performed by the
Boston Symphony Orchestra) and other activities in the area easily make it
worthwhile. Norman Rockwell’s museum is close by, as are lovely hiking trails
and enjoyable restaurants. One restaurant that may be of interest to beer fans
is the Barrington Brewery. While technically in the town of Great Barrington, it’s an easy eleven-mile drive from Lenox. DBNE stopped in during a late
summer visit to the area.

I
wish all our reviews could be positive. But unfortunately, the Barrington
Brewery reminded us that not every establishment can impress. In fact, some can
be downright unfortunate.

Fitting
for the country setting and the style of food offered, the restaurant reminds
you of an old barn or come-as-you-are country steakhouse. Unsurprisingly, the interior is kitschy. It appears rundown and not in a cute, rustic, or other intentional
way. The place needs a makeover, badly.The layout is simply weird. An unwelcoming entrance practically puts you
right into the server’s station. And from watching many episodes of the TV show
Restaurant Impossible, we began to easily point out everything that should be
fixed or redone. It begs
for attention as it has a world of potential that appears neglected. But if
they’re making money, who are we to advocate for change.

Quick,
attentive service is normally a positive. But our service here was so much so that
we quickly felt an enjoyable leisurely dinner was not in the cards. Our server
was so attentive we felt rushed.

The
BBQ food defined mediocrity. Nothing was wrong, but nothing warrants a return
visit in the slightest. Throw in the fact that fries cost extra (at a pub?!)
and you’re not winning us over anytime soon.

Unfortunately,
the beer was no better. We tried their brown ale, pale ale, and a stout. All
three had a noticeably slick and thin mouthfeel we found deterring. As for
flavor, the brown ale and pale ale both tasted fine – albeit the kind of fine
you say with a shrug of the shoulders while cocking your head to the side. The stout
actually smelled quite nice but then let us down immensely on flavor (in
addition to its poor texture).

The
four major areas to judge here – food, beer, venue, service – all receive
negative marks from DBNE. It’s unfortunate that the one area in which they excel
(speedy service), they do too well thereby causing a negative, rushed
experience. Shame.

You
may notice the word “unfortunate” appears more than a couple times in this
review. That’s no accident. That word sums up our visit. I wish I could recommend
the Barrington Brewery to anyone who is at least driving right by its parking
lot, but I can’t – at least not for dinner. If you’re looking for a quick, no-fuss
lunch of a simple hot dog, burger, or sandwich along with a simple beer, the
restaurant may serve you fine. Give it a shot and see if you concur. Otherwise,
although restaurants may not be abundant in the area, you’re still better off elsewhere
for dinner. Might we suggest a place in downtown Lenox called Brava? It’s no
brewpub, but it offers a concisely well-curated beer (and wine) menu, a more
refined and warm interior, and a thoughtfully modern food menu focusing on tapas.
Brava is a must visit and will please any beer fan who opts to accelerate past
the Barrington Brewery.

Monday, October 14, 2013

The
Hampton beach area in south eastern New Hampshire isn’t normally a spot one
associates with quality beer. Upon mention of that area, you might first envision
honkey-tonk teenage hangouts, or maybe video game arcades, mini skirts with tramp
stamps, cigarette-butt littered beach sand, or tricked-out cars blaring beats
with their windows down. Or, all the above.

For
the past year, beer geeks have found
refuge from Hampton Beach’s charades four miles up the road on route 1. It’s a
safe haven tucked away in the corner of a cookie cutter strip mall plaza, and it’s where Blue Lobster Brewing calls home. Yes,
a strip mall, but it’s an upgrade from the type of digs many small breweries
inhabit; often shabby, bare-boned warehouses. (Heck some of those warehouses
seem no different than a stage set from a mafia flick where “stuff” goes down.)

Michael Benoit, a home brewer for thirty years, opened Blue
Lobster Brewing on November 8, 2012. To help him, he recruited a young man by
the name of David Sakolosky who apprenticed at Hill Farmstead for a year, and
previously helped White Birch get off the ground in Hooksett NH.

Michael and David aim to provide their local area primarily with
fresh draft beer, as opposed to bottles. They fear their beer will be left
uncared for in stores and go stale. Outside a few kegs sent to local
establishments (i.e. the pizza restaurant next door), you must visit Blue
Lobster to purchase their beer. Given that the duo prefers brewing hoppy beer,
it’s arguably a good thing one must visit them to purchase the beers that –
compared to other styles – can lose their character more quickly when sitting on
room-temperature store shelves for extended periods of time.

The Blue Lobster tasting room is nicer than most. There’s a
small bar with a handful of seats and five or six high top tables. The
lobster-themed décor is thoughtful while not overdone.

The common thing to order is a tasting flight. For $5 you get
five beer samples at three or four ounces each. We sampled a pale ale named “Gold
Claw,” a wheat IPA called “Stalkholm Syndrome,” a black IPA named “Red
Door(Paint It Black),” a double IPA called “Excess is Not Rebellion,” and their
rye porter named “Ragged Neck Rye.”

Gold
Claw is generally considered the brewery’s flagship beer. Scoring highly on
beer rating websites, we expected great things. It smelled very nice and
floral, but the flavor was thin, lifeless, and otherwise disappeared in your
mouth without hinting at much character. Other beer geeks defend this, saying
“yes but for 4.5% abv it’s a great session beer.” I disagree. Don’t make
excuses for beers lower in alcohol. It’s been proven enough times that producing
low-alcohol ale full of flavor is entirely doable. We look forward to trying
another batch in the future, but today, thumbs down for Gold Claw.

Equally
excited for Excess is Not Rebellion, we dove into that next. This beer is
tricky. The brewer changes its recipe drastically. Certain batches use entirely
different hops from other batches. The version we tasted was brewed entirely
with Columbus – a hop varietal we have a love/hate relationship with. At times,
Columbus tastes a bit like onion (hate). Other times it’s more grassy (love). In
this beer, I sensed both grass and onion; the former on the nose, the latter in
the flavor. Additionally, it was overly
bitter – not good. Other versions sound more promising; a previous batch was
made with Galaxy/Centennial/Citra, and another batch sported 100% Galaxy. I
have to think those versions taste far better.

“Red
Door(Paint It Black),” their black IPA, is noted by the brewer to pay homage to
the original Vermont take on the style. Exactly which brewer that refers to
we’re not sure. Regardless, this beer lacks the hop punch we love in beers like
Stone’s Sublimely Self Righteous, and Firestone Walker’s Wookey Jack. We
continuously use those two beers as benchmarks for the black IPA style, and
Blue Lobster’s take didn’t cut it. However, if one considers Blue Lobster’s
version as a slightly more bitter porter, it can come across as successful and
perhaps enjoyable enough.

Up
next – “Ragged Neck Rye” porter. If I had this blind, I would declare it a
Scotch ale. It offers a profound sense of peat often found in American takes on
Scotch ales. While notes of rye were noticeable they played second fiddle to
the presence of peat. The beer could’ve used more body and depth, but was not
necessarily a disappointment. Overall, it was tasty enough. But worthy of a
growler fill? Not exactly.

Feeling
slightly disappointed in our tasting thus far, we worried we’d walk away with
no interest in a growler of anything offered. The last beer, however, redeemed
our experience. “Stalkholm Syndrome,” a wheat IPA, is beautiful. A gorgeous,
citrusy hop presence blends like butter with a soft wheat malt bill. Without
question, this beer is Blue Lobster’s highlight. Why we've heard more acclaim
for Gold Claw is beyond us. Stalkholm easily deserves to be in the discussion
for New England’s best IPAs. We found our growler beer.

Despite
being let down up to the end of our tasting, it’s worth stressing that we went
into this visit with high expectations. It’s entirely possible, if not likely,
this affected our reaction to Blue Lobster’s offerings. None of the beers were
bad, and I can easily see people finding any one of the beers to their liking.

Note: Since the initial visit to the
Blue Lobster tasting room, I had the chance to taste two additional beers of
theirs at a festival. One being a new DIPA called “A Town Called Earth: Exeter Edition,” and the other a bottle-conditioned
farmhouse ale – the latter being the result of a collaboration with Prairie
Artisan Ales from Oklahoma. The new DIPA was far better than the one we tried back
at the tasting room. It served up a smooth tropical hop profile of melon,
papaya and the like. The farmhouse ale was tart and a bit funky, with very mild
carbonation. It tasted promising, but I immediately thought it needed more time
in the bottle to develop into something grand.

The tasting room is a comfortable spot, definitely worth a visit. Many people find something to love in their arsenal
of beers, so it’s likely you will too. Although
it’s strictly a tasting room with no food, there’s a pizza restaurant right next
door (called the Community Oven) that many people like, and you’ll find Blue
Lobster on tap there.

Worth noting for your visit - Blue Lobster will fill other
brewery’s growlers as long as they’re brown glass. They hesitantly fill screw cap
growlers because they feel more comfortable seeing their beer walk out the door
in swingtop
bottles, which seal better than caps. 1/6th kegs are also for sale if you’d
rather party at home instead of with Tammy, Trent, and the other IROC jockeys at
Hampton Beach.

Monday, August 19, 2013

On
a 98 degree day, with a real feel of approximately 163 degrees, we made the
questionable decision to forgo the beach (or any other sensible activity to stay
cool) and instead visit a hot brewery with no AC. Coincidentally, the name of
that brewery is “Foolproof”.

Or
is that ironic?

Actually,
it’s both.

Based
in Pawtucket Rhode Island, Foolproof Brewing began business in 2010. They
believe in “experienced-based brewing”. Their three primary beers are intended
to pay tribute to three different sacred beer drinking experiences. They claim these three experiences are, 1 – “watching
baseball” (agreed), 2 – “relaxing indoors on a rainy day” (sounds nice, but a sacred
beer drinking experience it is not), or 3 – shooting the breeze at your local
watering hole (inarguable).

Foolproof’s
name up until their official opening was High Jinx Brewing. A bit late in the
game they discovered that name was already under copyright by a winery. Humorously,
Foolproof already had pint glasses produced with “High Jinx Brewing” printed on
them. At the time of our visit, they were selling off the stockpile High Jinx pint
glasses at a discount.

When
you visit the brewery you pay $10. That money gets you three tasting tokens, a
tour, and either one Foolproof pint glass or two High Jinx pint glasses to walk
away with. Otherwise, pay and extra $2 and you may take home a beautiful
Foolproof-branded tulip glass (I’m a sucker for tulip glasses so guess which
option I took).

Your
three tasting tokens can be used towards any of their three flagship beers, or a
specialty beer they happen to have recently bottled. During our visit, the
specialty beers were a farmhouse saison, and a Russian imperial stout. If you
go with someone, play it smart and use your tokens so that both you and your
friend/spouse can try all the beers available and share each other’s samples. Don’t
worry, samples sizes at Foolproof are generous and easy to share.

The
flagship beers that match the previously mentioned life experiences are “Backyahd”
(IPA), “Raincloud” (porter), and “Barstool” (golden/blonde ale). Use your
marbles to figure out which beer serves which experience.

Barstool
is a 4.5% ABV session ale with no errors that’s easy to throw back. Its flavor won’t turn heads. Mild on all
fronts, it fits warm weather well and can easily satisfy the general public.

I
had high hopes for the Raincloud porter because I read a handful of positive
remarks from fellow beer geeks. It draws good ratings among beer fans, so if
you like porters, stouts, and other malt-heavy styles, give it a shot. I found
it a bit thin, soapy, and lacking that comfort that a good porter provide.
But I’ve learned to never write off a beer until I've had it twice, for
multiple reasons. So I still look forward to trying Raincloud again.

The
saison/farmhouse ale we tasted is called La Ferme Urbaine (meaning “the urban
farm”). If you shy away from French pronunciations (me too), you can simply ask
for “the saison” and avoid embarrassment. This beer was the highlight of our
tasting. Although it uses mainly German
hops and grains, the flavor matches the Belgian saison style well. It’s hazy, with
notes of banana, pepper, lemon, and it finishes very dry (as a saison should).

Our
last pour was “Reverie,” a Russian imperial stout. We thought it was decent,
yet not as assertive as we like our RIS’s. It was oddly non-filling and easier
to drink than a typical RIS. Theoretically, a beer’s drinkability score should
never be dinged for being too easy to drink. But as many fans of Russian
imperial stouts will say, the style is most fun when big, bold, and complex.
Reverie tasted neither big or bold, and its flavor depth was a touch shallow.
With that said, it was well balanced, tasty enough, and nicely
approachable for the style. If Reverie was available at an economical cost in 6
packs, I’d say it’s an excellent weeknight RIS, but as it’s only available in
uneconomical 22oz. bottles, its competition on the shelf is far stronger and I
would be hard pressed to reach for this one over other 22 oz. options.

The
tour itself is not a quick pass through the brewing area. It’s one hour long.
Your tour guide explains the brand’s story, the history for each style they
brew, and every step of the brewing process. But it’s not a tedious hour, the guides
show clear passion for what they do and are genuinely excited to inform you.

Their
flagship beers are packaged in cans and available in six-packs. I quite like
their designs, frankly. Your tour guide will go into detail as to why they
favor cans over bottles. As you may or may not already know, cans are great for
blocking beer’s enemies (sunlight and oxygen), and obviously don’t break like
glass when dropped.

Despite
our belief that Foolproof’s beers generally won’t wow people, they’re all
agreeable and have their place. I would never turn one down if offered by a
friend, even if because I unabashedly love the can artwork.

A
visit is recommended if you have time to kill in Pawtucket. The tasting room is
modern and friendly. Parking is easy. And despite having to pay $10, your money
goes a long way at Foolproof. Just be smarter than we were, visit when it’s not
so hot out that you could sauté quahogs on your car’s hood.

Foolproof
Brewing Company

241 Grotto Ave

Pawtucket,RI, 02860www.foolproofbrewing.com(401) 721-5970

Tours:Saturdays at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 p.m. (with the exception of major
holiday weekends and severe weather). Tours are limited to the first 25 people.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Our last trip brought us to the bowels of Everett MA, visiting the creative
suds from Night Shift Brewing, and the Belgian-inspired offerings from Idle
Hands Craft Ales. If you’re apprehensive to visit that creepy area, there’s now
another reason to go. Just 5 minutes away, in Chelsea, Mystic Brewing opened
their doors to the public this past winter. Suddenly, within a 5 mile radius,
you now have a mini beer tour at your fingertips.

Despite only recently opening their brewery’s doors to the public, Mystic has
been selling beer close to two years now. Well, “brewery” isn’t the best word.
Because there isn’t one on site. What they have is best referred to as a
fermentorium. They brew wort (the first stage of brewing) offsite at another
location, then truck it back to their abode in Chelsea to ferment, blend, and
so on.

Centuries ago, brewers fermented beer by letting liquid from strained
grains sit in barrels and open vats because there was a “mystical” ingredient,
invisible to the naked eye, which magically brought the liquid to life. Commonly
known today as yeast, it is this mystical ingredient – not the nearby river –
that drives the meaning behind Mystic Brewery’s name. And yeast is also what
makes the brewers at Mystic giddy.

You see, owners Bryan Greenhagen and his wife, Emily are both MIT-trained fermentation
scientists. Isolating, cultivating, propagating, and otherwise toying with yeast
strains is their passion. They’ll isolate a yeast strain from local plums, cranberries,
blueberries from Maine, or from the surrounding air and land.

How’s it working for them? After tasting our fair share of their
concoctions at the brewery, I’d say swimmingly. And “swimming” is also the
appropriate word to describe how we felt as we left the brewery. The samples
they provide are some of the most generous we’ve come across. Many seem well
over the usual two ounces. And at our time of visit, they had approximately
nine beers for sampling, most of which hover at or above 7% ABV. Be sure you
have some food in your belly before you go. We didn’t, and it made the
situation a bit funny.

As for the beers, Mysitc primarily makes saisons. And you’ll notice an
assuring level of consistency across all of them. At the time of our visit,
four out of the nine beers were saisons. A fifth saison was listed but had
recently run dry. Two of the nine beers are “brewery-only” and not sold in
stores. Those two available to us were both low-ABV session beers; one a
“table” saison, and the other a “half IPA”. Both competed for top highlights of
our visit.

The only misstep for my tastes was Day of Doom, as it lacked the necessary
complexity expected in authentic Belgian quads. However, given that only one of
the nine beers disappointed me is a testament to the consistent quality Mystic
offers.

A tasting flight here is free. But, on Saturday at 1:00pm, pay just $6 and
get: 1) a beautiful Mystic-branded goblet to take home, 2) a tour of the
facility 3) a guided tour of the beers on tap and, 4) a contribution to local
charities.

Mystic’s tasting room is one of the coolest tasting rooms around. It’s large
and simple, but with a beautiful rustic look. Many elements are made of repurposed
wood from a nearby scrap yard. The old world abbey-like wall tapestries, and the
doors that look as if they came off the set of Lord of the Rings all add to the
room’s coolness factor. Top it off with ample parking right on site and a vibe
that practically invites you to hang out. Mystic Brewery is a must visit.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

One thorn
DBNE recently came across was an ugly industrial park in the ugly town of
Everett, MA. That’s right, we're talking two layers of ugly here. But if you’re
a beer lover that happens to be passing by Charlton Street in Everett, turn
onto it.

Once you’re
on Charlton St., ignore the immense, crumbling brick building in front of you
with its windows blown out. Just bear left into the mess of unforgiving
construction that makes you feel like you have no business being there.
Disregard the sinking feeling that you're trespassing into guarded
territory, and park your car anywhere alongside the chain-link fence where it
feels like you’ll be instantly towed. Get out of our car and slowly walk down
the foreboding narrow alley in-between the two buildings and look for a small,
inconspicuous black and white sign of a hop cone that looks like an angry owl.
If you feel like you’re in the wrong place, you’re in the right place. Got it?

Once inside
your first door, walk down the dark and seemingly deserted hallway, straight
past a couple of side doors and into a dimly lit garage of sorts. Walk around
the cars, and you'll find yourself facing two doors. If you feel like you've
gone far enough and this is all a cruel joke, fear not. Behind these two doors is
your thorn’s rose – friendly people pouring tasty beer.

The two
doors in front of you are the entrances to two of Boston's newer nanobreweries.
Night Shift Brewing, and Idle Hands Craft Ales, founded in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

What's a nanobrewery? There’s still no confirmed definition, but as one might assume, it’s a very small brewery. Very, very small. Sometimes just a glorified homebrew set up that happens to sell their beer commercially. Some industry folk have casually defined nanobreweries as operations using no more than a 4 US barrel (470 L) brew system.

DBNE first
walked through the left door, which puts you square into the tasting room for
Night Shift Brewing. Inside were 3 men standing behind a bar, dishing out
samples to a handful of people.

Once you've made it this far inside, you realize the building you're in (which moments ago felt unwelcoming at best) seems like a communal manufacturing facility that probably leases raw individual spaces to small, start-up production companies of any kind. It's actually a smart space for a start-up brewery to get its feet wet in the industry.

We were acknowledged immediately in the Night Shift tasting area and offered a full tasting of six beers on tap, going from light to dark.

Our tasting included “Trifecta,” a very agreeable Belgian-style pale; “Rose,” a saison
brewed with rosemary, rosehips, honey, then aged on crushed pink peppercorns
was a hit and made its way home with us; A Berliner-Weisse style sour ale
brewed with lemongrass and ginger, called “Somer Weisse,” tasted tart, bright,
and refreshing, but it seemed better suited for warmer months (I envisioned
drinking it with a strawberry chicken salad); “Taza Stout,” brewed with chicory
root, ginger, and then aged on cacao nibs was a nice change of pace and also
found its way home with us; "Fallen Apple," a golden ale brewed with fresh MA apple cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander,
allspice, then aged in rum and brandy barrels was a bit hit with us. Lastly, we finished
up with “Viva Habanera,” a rye ale brewed with agave nectar and aged on
habanero peppers. The pepper kick on the finish of this last beer was a
surprise, and while interesting to experience, was a bit overwhelming on the
palate.

The Night
Shift tasting room is open every weeknight from 5:00 – 9:00 pm and Saturday
afternoon 12:00 – 5:00 pm. Pre-filled bottles and growler fills are both
available for sale.

Leaving the
Night Shift tasting room, we popped into door #2 to visit Idle Hands. Similar
to Night Shift, you immediately walk into a small tasting area with a bar. The
tasting here included their flagship “Pandora”
– a very agreeable Belgian inspired pale ale, “Rosemary for
Remembrance"– a delightful ale made with sweet potato and rosemary,
"Charlton Rouge” – their homage to a Flanders Red, and
"Cognition" – a very sessionable Abbey style brown ale.

There were no duds in the Idle Hands lineup. All were enjoyable. We
particularly loved the playful sour notes in Charlton Rouge which blended well
with its brown sugar malts. Hence, we took a bottle home along with Pandora
which offers layers of elegant flavor yet is deceptively simple to drink. If
bottles of Rosemary for Remembrance were offered, and not just growlers of it, that
would have made it home with us as well because it would've paired superbly with Thanksgiving dinner. Idle Hands is not open to the public as often as Night Shift, so be sure you visit these parts when both breweries are open. Hours for Idle Hands are Thursdays from 5:00 – 8:00 pm and Saturdays from 12 – 4:00 pm. Night Shift is always open during Idle Hands’ hours.

Despite the humor of locating the entrance to these breweries, we very
much recommend a visit. Although I must admit, I can’t imagine the humanity of
trying to locate the appropriate doors in a scary industrial site during dark
weeknight hours in winter; not unless I want my family to see my face on the
local news the next day with the word “MISSING” underneath it. For your first
visit, stick with Saturday daytime hours and enjoy. Night Shift Brewing 3 Charlton StEverett, MA 02144Open Monday – Friday 5:00 – 9:00 pm, and Saturdays from 12:00 – 5:00 pm617-294-4233www.nightshiftbrewing.comIdle Hands Craft Ales3 Charlton StEverett, MA 02144Open Thursdays from 5:00 – 8:00 pm, and Saturdays from 12 – 4:00 pminfo@idlehandscraftales.comwww.idlehandscraftales.com

Monday, September 17, 2012

After DBNE's recent trip there, I asked two Maine natives if they were familiar with the town. I received a one blank stare, a pair of shrugged shoulders, a head shake, and two utterances of, “nope”.

My wife and I (aka DBNE) ended up in Lovell when we recently visited North Conway NH, where we’d been multiple times before. But never before had we imagined that any part of Maine was relatively close by. A note from a fellow member of BeerAdvocate.com told me that Ebenezer’s Pub – rated the best beer bar in America more than once – was a doable twenty or so miles away.

I was vaguely aware of Ebenezer’s fame. I knew it was in Maine, but therefore figured it was a far drive from anywhere. So, I never bothered to know the town it lied in.

What I knew about Ebenezer's was gleaned from an article or two, advertisements, and even videos of its basement.

That’s right, the basement.

It’s a dingy looking basement. Like yours and mine. But although Ebenezer’s basement doesn't look fancy, it in fact houses an impressive bounty of rare and hard-to-find beer not often seen. Much of the beers seen in the video hail from Europe, with many Belgian delights visible. It’s clear one does not come to Ebenezer’s to explore American craft beer.

The drive to, and through, the town of Lovell was almost worth the trip alone. A thick orange sunset saturated the quiet and quaint town that frankly seemed motionless. Before you knew it, we passed a tiny road that fed the parking lot to Ebenezer’s. (You'll pass it, too, if you've never been there.)

The pub sits right on a golf course. As we walked up to it, we weren’t immediately sure where to walk in. The door we entered put you immediately onto a patio dining area that felt as if you’re standing in a road-side shack that dishes out deep-fried seafood by the bucket load.

We eventually found our way to the bar area which was surprisingly small. I feel an establishment that puts significant thought into its beer selection should offer a substantial bar area relative to the restaurant’s total size. There were only five or six stools at the bar and two high-top tables nearby – one of which we luckily got. One cool aspect of the bar is that each tap handle is made of blown glass.

There are 35 beers on draft here. None of them are pedestrian. The majority are obscure European imports that would excite even the geekiest beer nerds. Between my wife and I, we drank Omnipollo Mazarin, Pannepot Wild, Stillwater Existent, Old Engine Oil (not literally), Cuvee Angelique, and another sour ale we’ve somehow forgotten the name of.

One thing Ebenezer’s is known for is Black Albert. It’s a hefty, 13% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that’s brewed exclusively for them by De Struise in Belgium. It’s amazing the pub has this connection with such a world-class brewery. Black Albert is said to be terrific. Unfortunately, there was none left during our visit. But if you go, don’t hesitate to ask if there’s any in house.

In addition to draft offerings, there’s an extensive bottle selection offering treats from the cellar. Interestingly, however, the bottle list is not 100% complete. For instance, if you desire a specific lambic or gueuze from Drie Fonteinen or Cantillon, this requires a discussion with your server. As you’ll see the menu merely states “Cantillon – various offerings,” starting at something around $40 per bottle. Near this section of the bottle list, there’s a note stating that it may require extra time for your server to dig for your selection in the cellar. To be honest, I’d pay an extra $10 to dig for it myself down in that treasure trove of theirs.

As for the food, we ordered a myriad of protein and it was all satisfying. The chicken, cooked sous-vide, couldn’t have been more moist or tender. The blood sausage was fantastic, the steak tips savory, the knockwurst and brats also succulent.

Prices on food and beverage lean to the steep side at Ebenezer’s. Your tab can stay modest if you order a sandwich and domestic beer. But a more exciting entrée paired with two or three of their more intriguing beer offerings quickly adds up your damage report. As Ebenezer’s remote location gives the impression that you may not be back any time soon, you quickly feel it’s OK to splurge a bit.

Overall, if you’re a beer geek who finds him or herself within twenty five miles from Lovell, ME (this includes the distance from the congested town of North Conway, NH) Ebenezer’s is worth your time for at least one visit. If you really want a tour of the cellar, it’s said that you can request one in advance, time permitting on the owner’s behalf. If you go down there, do me a favor. Record it and post it to YouTube, because I’ve worn out the previous videos.